22| Vows

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Vows

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Chapter 22: Vows (Spencer's POV)

I woke up the next morning with a frown already on my face. She's not here. Her side of the bed's empty. "Delilah," I groaned, rubbing my eyes and rolling onto my back, waking myself up. "Delilah!" I called out louder. I squinted, my lips in a pout as I sat up against the headboard and looked around. I noticed the bathroom door was firmly shut and when I paid attention, I could hear the shower water running. I sighed, ruffling out my hair, pushing it back before climbing out of bed and walking to the bathroom, knocking on the door.

The water turned off and her muffled voice came out. "Spencer is that you?!"

"Can I come in?!"

"No!"

I sighed, turning around and leaning against the door. "I have to freshen up, Delilah!"

"Use the other bathroom!"

"This one's mine!"

"What's mine is yours, honey!"

I rolled my eyes and pushed myself off the door, climbing back into bed and just waiting for her. I opened the curtains before that and started outside. I blinked in realization. The wedding is soon, shouldn't we decide if we'll be writing vows or not? And if we do, what will they be? "I want to write them," I mumbled to myself. I reached into my nightstand drawer and took out a useless little diary and pen that I keep. I opened a new page and titled it 'Vows' before dating it. I began writing but as the nib of the pen touched the page, I had no idea what to write. I let out a huff and lay down, staring at the ceiling.

The door opened no more than five minutes later and she walked out wearing a robe. My robe.

I sat back up. "That's mine." I pointed to her.

"The robe? I know, but mine's in the other room. I was scared to go there after last night, so I just—"

"No," I shook my head. "That's mine."

She stared down at herself in confusion, looking at the robe. "What is? The robe?"

"No," I repeated. "That."

"What?" She gritted in frustration.

I sighed, kneeling at the foot of the bed. I gestured for her to come closer and she did, stopping right in front of me with her hair still dry, thrown up in a bun with the loose strands soaked, framing her face.

"What?" She lifted her brows.

"That," I said, nodding towards her.

She blinked in realization before laughing dryly, pointing at herself. "This? Me? Are you talking about me?"

I nodded, smirking.

She closed her eyes, her lips twitching to smile. "I'm mine," she countered.

"What's mine is yours, honey," I mocked, resting my arms around her waist.

"Go and freshen up, I'll change in the closet." She pushed my hands off and went into the closet, closing the doors behind her.

I went into the bathroom and sighed, resting my hands on the counter and staring at my reflection in the mirror. I clicked my tongue, scratching the back of my head before grabbing my toothbrush. What was I thinking last night? Acting like what she told me was completely okay? Like I wasn't mad at her, as if I didn't feel betrayed and felt hatred towards her?

It really made me want to despise her. I felt the urge to simply throw her out of my castle and get rid of her for good. I still don't blame her for what she did, but how am I supposed to trust her now? I don't trust her, but I like her. I want to keep liking her, I want to be with her, I want to love her. But how is it possible to feel all that after knowing what her intentions really were? After I finished brushing my teeth, I stripped out of my clothes and climbed into the shower. I spent all that time dwelling over what to do next.

Should I genuinely forgive her and go along as if it didn't happen? Can I really trust her enough to do that? Or shall I get rid of her? She's nothing but a risk, danger, a hazard to me now. Not to mention, she's at risk too and so is her uncle. I can't let my father find out that I know. If I let her go, he'll realize that she spilled the truth to me, and then God knows what he'll do. And I won't even be there to protect her.

I leaned against the cool tile wall, falling into deeper thought. I need a plan and I need it fast, there isn't much time left till the wedding. I need a plan of action before that. I turned the water off once I finished and wrapped a towel around my waist, grabbing a hand towel to dry my hair. When I walked back out into the room, she was sitting on the bed, staring at the engagement ring on her finger. Until I figure out what to do, I want her to feel at ease. I don't want her to panic or feel guilty, so I'll continue pretending like nothing's wrong. "What are you doing?" I sat beside her, our brushing against each other.

"Thinking," she said softly.

"What about?" I grabbed her hand, locking our fingers together before looking at her.

She stared at the floor blankly before shaking her head softly. "I still don't think you should marry me, Spencer."

"Didn't we talk about this?"

She rolled her eyes, turning in her seat to face me. "Spencer, I'm not stupid. I know you're not showing it, but you're wavering. You don't trust me as much anymore, rightfully so. But marriages don't work without trust. And there's too much on the line here for both of us, so if..."

"So if?" I urged.

"So if things aren't working, what's the harm in calling it off?"

I blinked, my eyes following her as she stood up in front of me.

"This will end in disaster otherwise."

"The harm is, Delilah." I grabbed the back of her knees and pulled her down until she straddled me. She let out a small gasp, holding onto my shoulders, staring at me wide-eyed and stunned. "If I let you out of my sight now, my father will know that you told me the truth. Which means he can hurt you. And if you're not near me, how can I protect you, hmm?"

She swallowed, her chest rising and falling with each short but heavy breath. "Why would you want to protect me if I don't mean anything to you? I'll be nobody if we call off the wedding."

"That's not true and you know it. We're getting married, Daisy. There's no working around that." There really isn't. I'd lose her if I let her go, and no matter how much I doubt her, I can't afford to let her go. Trust can be built and gained, we can work on it. But putting her life in danger is not worth it. "Speaking of," I cleared my throat. "Our vows."

"V-vows?"

"Would you like to write them or not?"

She shrugged softly, still flustered by our proximity and position. "Up to you."

"It's not up to me," I chuckled. "We'll decide together."

Her eyes flicked up to mine. "Do you want to write them?"

"Hmm," I nodded.

"Then let's write them," she mumbled. "But I have on condition."

"And what may that be?"

"We don't tell or show each other our vows until the wedding. Agreed?"

I narrowed my eyes. "That's awfully risky."

"So was me telling you the truth. And we're talking about wedding vows. It's our wedding, they're our vows. Does it really matter what people think? I know you're a prince, but..." She trailed off with a slight tilt of her head. I tilted my head the opposite way, watching her. "What?" She laughed softly.

I placed a finger under her chin, bringing her lips to mine once again. She kissed me back slowly but slowly isn't enough. It's never enough.

Her kisses always make me feel like I'm on fire. Icy fire. Inside, out. They make me realize that I would gladly burn the world for her if it meant turning whatever hurt her to ash at her feet. Anyone, anything, whatever it may be. I'd take her problems as my own, fight with her and for her, protect her.

I pulled back, blinking in surprise.

I'd take her problems as my own, fight with her and for her against anything and everything. I'd protect her. The perfect vow.

"What?" She raised her brows at me.

"I just thought of the perfect vow."

She smiled, "Keep it to yourself, don't tell me. Keep it a secret."

I nodded slowly, grabbing her by the throat, my fingers barely tightening around her. I could feel her pulse under the pads of my fingers as it drummed, her heart pounding. She likes it, I think she does. I looked into her eyes and realized it immediately. I smirked, pulling her in. "Who would have thought?"

"Thought what?" she whispered.

"That you would like something of this sort."

"Huh?"

I chuckled, shaking my head, "Never mind. Just kiss me."

"Wait, what was that supposed to—"

I rolled my eyes and pulled her in, silencing her with a kiss. Her nails gently dug into my skin, enough to send a series of chills down my spine. I slipped one hand under her shirt, resting it on her waist. She didn't stop me or object, but I settled there for the time being. Slow.

I plan to take everything as slow as possible with her. I want to cherish every moment. Our marriage was arranged in a rush, and it's happening in a rush as well. The moments in between, the little things, I want to cherish those. I want to cherish her.

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Chapter 22

I guess y'all get two chapters today ;)

next chapter: kiss